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Mouthwatering Brown Sugar Bacon Little Smokies blend tantalizing flavors into the ultimate bite-sized party snacks. These crowd-pleasers wrap juicy cocktail sausages in crispy bacon coated with gooey caramelized brown sugar, making an appetizer that guests grab faster than you can serve them.
I brought these to a Super Bowl get-together once and they were gone in seconds. These days I always cook twice as many because everyone hangs around the tray waiting to snatch them up as soon as they're cool enough to touch.
Key Ingredients
- Little Smokies: go for high-quality cocktail sausages for richer taste
- Bacon: standard thickness works much better than thick-cut versions
- Brown sugar: you can use either light or dark varieties successfully
- Toothpicks: stick with wooden ones for better holding power
Step-By-Step Directions
- Step 1:
- Slice bacon strips into thirds. They need to be just long enough to circle each Little Smokie with a bit of overlap. Too much excess creates soft spots instead of crispy texture.
- Step 2:
- Fasten each wrapped Smokie using a toothpick, grabbing both bacon ends. Set them on a lined baking sheet with the seam facing down.
- Step 3:
- Coat each piece liberally with brown sugar. As it melts, it'll form a sweet coating that works amazingly with the salty bacon flavor.
- Step 4:
- Cook at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, flipping once halfway. Keep an eye on them toward the end since the sugar can quickly go from perfect to burnt.
- Step 5:
- Allow them to sit for 5 minutes before moving to your serving dish. This gives the sugar coating time to firm up a bit.
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My mother-in-law showed me how to gently push the brown sugar onto each wrapped sausage before cooking. This tiny trick makes sure the sugar sticks well and turns into a gorgeous caramel coating.
Watching The Heat
Keep your oven right at 350°F - any hotter and your sugar will burn, any cooler and your bacon won't get crispy enough.
Prep Them Early
You can wrap and sugar-coat your smokies up to 24 hours ahead. Just cover them in the fridge, then pop them in the oven when you're ready to serve.
Crowd-Pleasing Tricks
Cook them in smaller batches for big parties. Guests love grabbing them when they're warm from the oven.
Tasty Twists
Throw in a bit of cayenne for some kick or add black pepper for extra flavor depth.
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These tasty little treats have become what everyone asks me to bring to parties. They've got that perfect mix of sweet and savory flavors, and they always wow my guests despite being incredibly easy to make.
Common Questions
- → How do I make the bacon crispy?
- Turn on your broiler for the last couple minutes of cooking time to get extra crunchy bacon.
- → Can I make these ahead?
- You can prep by wrapping smokies in bacon and keeping them in the fridge, then add the sugar and pop them in the oven right before your guests arrive.
- → Why pat the sausages dry?
- Getting rid of extra moisture lets the bacon stick better and helps everything brown nicely.
- → Can I use regular bacon instead of thin-cut?
- Thin bacon works best since it's easier to wrap around the smokies and cooks more evenly throughout.
- → Do I need toothpicks?
- Yep, toothpicks are important to keep the bacon from unwrapping while they cook in the oven.